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A Trip to a
Prehistoric Cave
A Reading A–Z Level T Leveled Book
Word Count: 1,441

LEVELED BOOK • T

A Trip to a
Prehistoric Cave

Written by Sherry Sterling
Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi

Visit www.readinga-z.com
for thousands of books and materials.

www.readinga-z.com


A Trip to a
Prehistoric Cave

Written by Sherry Sterling
Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi

www.readinga-z.com


Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4

A Tour of Font de Gaume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Moving Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Prehisto Parc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  The People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Their Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  Their Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Their Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

3


Introduction
Eager to see stalactites and stalagmites,
Emmanuel and Victor begged to see caves
while driving through France. They were
learning about caves in school and wanted
to see some bats, too.
“Let’s stop at Font de Gaume,” said their
dad. “It’s not far from here, in Les Eyzies
(Layz Ay-ZEE).”

Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4

A Tour of Font de Gaume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

N

Moving Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Prehisto Parc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  The People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Their Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  Their Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Their Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

3

4


A Tour of Font de Gaume
Victor, Emmanuel, and their mom and dad
signed up for a tour and walked up some steps
to the mouth of the cave. A heavy, padlocked
door blocked the entrance. Sitting in the shade
with other families, they waited for the tour
guide. When the tour guide arrived, she locked
their backpacks and purses in a cabinet. “This

helps to protect the cave from objects brushing
its sides,” she said. Then she offered a suggestion:
“If you have jackets, keep them with you. It’s
much cooler in the cave.”
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

5


Once inside, the boys’ hearts sank. The cave
was dry, which meant no new stalactites or
stalagmites were forming. They also didn’t see
any bats flying around. Victor shuffled his feet
and whined, “What’s so great about this place?”
After walking 19.8 m (65 ft), their tour
guide used her flashlight to illuminate a scene
painted on the cave wall. The group gasped in
unison. They saw five bison painted in several
colors, outlined in black, and partly engraved.
“Wow—this is better than stalactites!”
exclaimed Emmanuel.
A Tour of Font de Gaume
Victor, Emmanuel, and their mom and dad
signed up for a tour and walked up some steps
to the mouth of the cave. A heavy, padlocked
door blocked the entrance. Sitting in the shade
with other families, they waited for the tour
guide. When the tour guide arrived, she locked
their backpacks and purses in a cabinet. “This
helps to protect the cave from objects brushing

its sides,” she said. Then she offered a suggestion:
“If you have jackets, keep them with you. It’s
much cooler in the cave.”
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

5

6


Their tour guide shared that they were
in one of the six most important caves in the
world from the upper Paleolithic period.
“Scientists think this cave was painted around
14,000 bc, when only modern Homo sapiens
lived. A unique thing about this cave is that
the paintings are polychromatic, which means
they are made up of many different colors.”
Their guide led them deeper into the
cave and shined her flashlight on another
painting—this one showed reindeer. Victor
noticed the antlers first, then found the edges
of a body and laughed when he saw that one
reindeer was licking the other.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

7


Moving Pictures

Their tour guide shared that they were
in one of the six most important caves in the
world from the upper Paleolithic period.
“Scientists think this cave was painted around
14,000 bc, when only modern Homo sapiens
lived. A unique thing about this cave is that
the paintings are polychromatic, which means
they are made up of many different colors.”

“Remember,” said the guide, “these
paintings were made and viewed by people
using torches, not flashlights. The flickering
red light lets you see the surface of the rock
through the paint. Now you can see the
carved paintings in the light that ancient
humans saw them.”
The group continued to wander through
the cave. Victor and Emmanuel saw a bison
with red horns, two deer with two bison, and
a room decorated with little bison. Next, they
saw two horses, one raising its forelegs.

Their guide led them deeper into the
cave and shined her flashlight on another
painting—this one showed reindeer. Victor
noticed the antlers first, then found the edges
of a body and laughed when he saw that one
reindeer was licking the other.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

The guide showed them another bison
scene. She turned off her flashlight’s white
light and switched to a red light. Moving it
quickly, she imitated the flicker of fire and
an amazing thing happened. A bison that
looked pasted on the stone wall in the white
light now seemed to come alive. Its side filled
out, and it looked as if it were breathing. The
painting seemed to leap off the rock with
stamping hooves.

7

8


“Here’s your stalactite,” the guide
said, pointing to the hind legs of the horse.
“Ancient painters used stalactites to help
them represent movement. They used the
unevenness of the rock to show the fullness
of an animal’s body.”
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

9


“What kinds of paintings have you seen
in this cave?” asked the tour guide.

A girl on the tour answered, “They’re all
animals.”
“Right!” said the guide. “For thousands of
years, cave paintings had only three kinds of
subjects: animals, symbols, and people. There
are no paintings of trees, plants, flowers, or
the Sun.”

Types of Cave Paintings

Animals

Symbols
“Here’s your stalactite,” the guide
said, pointing to the hind legs of the horse.
“Ancient painters used stalactites to help
them represent movement. They used the
unevenness of the rock to show the fullness
of an animal’s body.”
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

People

9

10


As they stepped out of the cave into the
bright warmth of the summer afternoon Sun,

Victor nudged his brother. “Remember when
you were little and you drew a horse on the
dining room wall?”
“Yeah, and Mom said, ‘You’re not a
caveman! Use paper to draw on.’”
“When we asked Mom who cavemen were,
she said they were people who lived in caves
a long time ago.”
The tour guide overheard the boys and
said, “Actually, cavemen didn’t live in caves.
You can go to Prehisto Parc to see how people
really lived when this cave was painted.”
“Let’s go!” chimed the boys eagerly.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

11


Prehisto Parc
After the tour, the family ate sandwiches
for lunch at a cafe and then drove up the road
to Prehisto Parc. It was filled with life-sized
scenes of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. Each
scene had a sign describing the history of the
scene. Victor and Emmanuel learned about
the people and their homes, food, and art.
As they stepped out of the cave into the
bright warmth of the summer afternoon Sun,
Victor nudged his brother. “Remember when
you were little and you drew a horse on the

dining room wall?”
“Yeah, and Mom said, ‘You’re not a
caveman! Use paper to draw on.’”
“When we asked Mom who cavemen were,
she said they were people who lived in caves
a long time ago.”
The tour guide overheard the boys and
said, “Actually, cavemen didn’t live in caves.
You can go to Prehisto Parc to see how people
really lived when this cave was painted.”
“Let’s go!” chimed the boys eagerly.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

11

12


The People
People today often think of cavemen
as hairy humans who lived at the time of
dinosaurs, wore animal skins, carried a club,
and dwelled in caves. Victor and Emmanuel
learned first that dinosaurs didn’t have any
human company. Second, the boys learned
that while early humans may have worn
animal skins, they probably carried spears,
not clubs. And who would want to live in
a damp, dark cave? Not even prehistoric
people, according to the first sign.

A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

13


Their Homes
“If these hunter-gatherers didn’t live in
caves, what did they live in?” Emmanuel
asked.

The People
People today often think of cavemen
as hairy humans who lived at the time of
dinosaurs, wore animal skins, carried a club,
and dwelled in caves. Victor and Emmanuel
learned first that dinosaurs didn’t have any
human company. Second, the boys learned
that while early humans may have worn
animal skins, they probably carried spears,
not clubs. And who would want to live in
a damp, dark cave? Not even prehistoric
people, according to the first sign.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

The first few scenes in the park answered
his question. Ancient people built lean-tos
near rock outcroppings by stretching animal
skins over wooden poles. To keep warmer
during the cold winter, they dug into the
ground to make a wall of earth. Mammoth

bones and tusks made the walls strong.
The roof was made with wooden poles
and covered with reindeer skins and dirt.
13

14


One sign read: Prehistoric builders carefully
chose where to build their homes. They built their
shelters in the spaces under rocks to keep out bad
weather. To get the Sun’s warmth in winter and
the most shade in summer, their dwellings faced
south or southwest. They also built homes near
a water source, such as a spring or river.

Inside the dwellings, Emmanuel and Victor
saw that ancient humans had places for a fire,
for sleeping, and for making weapons. A layer
of flat stones kept the floor dry. Outside, the
boys saw places to cut meat, cook meals,
scrape skins, and make weapons and tools.
The ancient people even had a place to put
their garbage.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

15


Their Food

One sign read: Prehistoric builders carefully
chose where to build their homes. They built their
shelters in the spaces under rocks to keep out bad
weather. To get the Sun’s warmth in winter and
the most shade in summer, their dwellings faced
south or southwest. They also built homes near
a water source, such as a spring or river.

The boys came upon a scene of a mammoth
hunt. Their dad said, “This looks a bit different
from going to the grocery store to get food.”
The sign read: To hunt, early humans worked
together setting traps in the marshland. Then they
lured an animal close to the trap. Once a mammoth
fell into the trap, it got stuck in the mud, and men
could more safely kill it by throwing spears.

Inside the dwellings, Emmanuel and Victor
saw that ancient humans had places for a fire,
for sleeping, and for making weapons. A layer
of flat stones kept the floor dry. Outside, the
boys saw places to cut meat, cook meals,
scrape skins, and make weapons and tools.
The ancient people even had a place to put
their garbage.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

15

Emmanuel and Victor learned that prehistoric
people probably fished more often than they
hunted. Fishing was not as dangerous as
hunting. Archaeologists, or people who study
ancient cultures, have found fish hooks, nets,
and traps. This
shows them that
ancient people
probably fished.
They think early
humans probably
used harpoons to
fish, as well as to
hunt animals such
as bears.
16


The boys’ father, who had wandered
ahead, came back to tell them of a scene down
the path. “Hunting and fishing were not the
only sources of food. Come read about this!”
Gathering was even safer than fishing, the
boys read. While early humans didn’t farm,
they gathered and ate wild roots, berries, and
mushrooms. They also found eggs and honey,
and even ate larvae and mature insects.
“Yuck!” exclaimed the boys at the same
time. They were so grossed out, they didn’t
even say jinx.

A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

17


Their Art
Next, the boys saw a scene of an early
human drawing on a cliff. “Maybe this will
tell us more about the cave paintings,” said
Emmanuel.
The boys learned that early Homo sapiens
liked to draw, often on animal bones and cave
walls. These ancient people didn’t just draw
anything they saw in their world; they drew
things that meant something to their hearts—
maybe as an act of worship.
The boys’ father, who had wandered
ahead, came back to tell them of a scene down
the path. “Hunting and fishing were not the
only sources of food. Come read about this!”
Gathering was even safer than fishing, the
boys read. While early humans didn’t farm,
they gathered and ate wild roots, berries, and
mushrooms. They also found eggs and honey,
and even ate larvae and mature insects.
“Yuck!” exclaimed the boys at the same
time. They were so grossed out, they didn’t
even say jinx.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

17

The scene’s sign read: Prehistoric painters
used their fingers or brushes (made from hair or
plants) to apply paint.
They used yellow, red,
and black paint made
from minerals in rocks.
For 20,000 years, they
painted the same way,
using the same three
paints. They used the
rock’s shape to enhance
their paintings and used
tools to carve the surface.
18


Conclusion
Victor, Emmanuel, and their parents took
a canoe trip on the Dordogne (door - DOAN)
River, passing castles and caves that dotted the
golden cliffs. When the boys stopped paddling,
their dad asked, “Are you getting tired?”
Victor answered, “I was imagining the
paintings that might fill those caves up there.”
“Wouldn’t it be great to be the one who
discovers them?” Emmanuel added. He was
already dreaming of becoming an archaeologist
and discovering more about the people who

painted caves long ago.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

19


Glossary
archaeologists (n.)

 eople who study
p
prehistoric cultures (p. 16)

engraved (v.)

cut or fashioned for
decoration (p. 6)

enhance (v.)

to improve or make better
(p. 18)

Homo sapiens (n.)

modern human beings (p. 7)

illuminate (v.)

light up (p. 6)

Conclusion

larvae (n.)

Victor, Emmanuel, and their parents took
a canoe trip on the Dordogne (door - DOAN)
River, passing castles and caves that dotted the
golden cliffs. When the boys stopped paddling,
their dad asked, “Are you getting tired?”

worm-like forms of some
insects when they are young
(p. 17)

lured (v.)

t o have led someone with
the promise of something
good; tempted (p. 16)

outcroppings (n.)

 arts of a rock that stick
p
out from their surroundings
(p. 14)

Paleolithic (adj.)

describing a time from
750,000 to 15,000 years
ago (p. 7)

Victor answered, “I was imagining the
paintings that might fill those caves up there.”
“Wouldn’t it be great to be the one who
discovers them?” Emmanuel added. He was
already dreaming of becoming an archaeologist
and discovering more about the people who
painted caves long ago.
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave • Level T

19

polychromatic (adj.) having many colors (p. 7)

20


A Trip to a
Prehistoric Cave
A Reading A–Z Level T Leveled Book
Word Count: 1,441

LEVELED BOOK • T

A Trip to a
Prehistoric Cave

Written by Sherry Sterling
Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi

Visit www.readinga-z.com
for thousands of books and materials.

www.readinga-z.com


A Trip to a
Prehistoric Cave

Photo Credits:
Page 10 (top, middle): © ClipArt.com; page 10 (bottom): © Bryndon Smith/iStock

Written by Sherry Sterling
Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
A Trip to a Prehistoric Cave
Level T Leveled Book
© Learning A–Z
Written by Sherry Sterling
Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
All rights reserved.

www.readinga-z.com

www.readinga-z.com

Correlation
LEVEL T

Fountas & Pinnell
Reading Recovery
DRA

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